The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of poinsettia plant, botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima (Willd. Ex Klotzsch) and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Carousel Dark Red’. The new cultivar is the result of a naturally occurring whole young plant mutation in the bright-red poinsettia plant ‘Future’ (U.S. application Ser. No. 09/590,012—abandoned) discovered in July 2003 in a greenhouse in Kounan-shi, Aichi prefecture, Japan.
The new cultivar has been asexually reproduced repeatedly by vegetative cuttings in Japan starting in July 2004. The resulting plants were used for trail cultivation and evaluation as flowering plants in December 2004. The clone proved to be stable and uniform. ‘Carousel Dark Red’ has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The present invention has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive asexual propagations.
Plant Breeder's Rights for this cultivar were applied for in Japan on Feb. 3, 2006.